At The Captain's Beckon Call

Jamie felt pretty good about the meeting he had just finished with the department. Or perhaps it was more of a speech in which he attempted to rally the troops so to speak. Nonetheless, it appeared that it worked because now everyone was working in a coordinated and less chaotic manner. If he hadn't known any better, and was a little more arrogant, he would smile to signal his victory. Knowing better, he instead reached for one of the many PADDs stacked upon his desk. He quickly learned that the PADD he had randomly selected was regarding upcoming security shift rotations. These were the worst because regardless of the decisions he makes, someone is always unhappy about their assignment. For a second, he thought about placing the PADD at the bottom of the pile to worry about later but decided it might as well be done now rather than later. As he began to review the proposed schedule, he was interrupted by an overhead announcement.

"=/\=Ensign Franklin to the Captain's ready room."

Jamie looked up towards what he presumed was the new captain's voice. I wonder which is worse; looking through team rotations or meeting the new captain. He did not wait long enough to ponder the question. Instead, he dropped the PADD onto his desk and stood from his chair as he tapped his comm badge.

"=/\=On my way, Captain," Jamie replied as he made his way towards the main security office door. The door slid aside, with the usual hiss, allowing him to pass into the corridor. He noticed that the halls in this area of the ship were unusually busy despite it being an hour after the start of alpha shift. Jamie attributed the heavy traffic to the new captain's arrival. He had heard many things about Captain th'Zorati since the big announcement and Jamie expected that this meeting would be occurring sooner or later despite only being the assistant tactical officer. Of course, he should have figured it was inevitable since the sudden departure of his former supervisor.

As he made his way passed numerous crewmen and officers, he nodded and smiled as necessary, rarely giving a verbal greeting. He was too anxious to speak, afraid that his voice would squeak or crack. He had heard things about the captain that nearly make Jamie afraid to meet him. So much so, that when he had asked Commander Neprem if he should be manning the tactical post on the bridge, he was happy that Tara had told him to remain in main security while a more experienced officer handled the position for the time being.

As he approached the turbolift, he slowed, thinking that doing so would delay the inevitable. He couldn't tell if the increased body temperature and subsequent sweating he was experiencing was the result of anxiety or out of wack environmental controls. The lift doors slid aside, again with hiss, and he stepped inside. Turning to face the exit, he gave the verbal command.

"Bridge," He said, his voice slightly cracking because of anxiety. He suddenly began to hope that the lift would be delayed, even by a malfunction. Instead, the hum of the lift slowed until it was no longer audible and the moment he feared arrived when the doors slid open. He nearly stumbled as he exited, as if something from behind shoved him forward. He recovered quickly and stepped onto the bridge. He was compelled to peer towards the tactical station, now feeling distain for being denied the opportunity to take the position himself as either the assistant tactical operations officer or acting chief operations officer. Seated at the station was an Andorian male officer he had never met before. The officer did not wear the uniform of a tactical officer, but rather that of a command officer. He wore the rank of Lieutenant Commander and was likely a former tactical operations officer now assigned to another department.

Remembering that the captain was awaiting his prompt arrival, Jamie rid his mind of the thoughts and quickly walked to the ready room. He stopped only an arm length away and pressed the door chime. Expecting the captain to answer almost immediately, Jamie quickly glanced over the visible parts of his uniform to ensure he was presentable. After brushing away a piece of stray fabric, he looked up at the still closed hatch. Perplexed, he reached his hand back out and pressed the chime once again. As he took another brief opportunity to recheck his uniform, he was interrupted from behind.

"The Captain is not in his ready room," a male voice from behind announced. Jamie turned around to address directly the individual that made the announcement. However, he did not know whom had made the comment. Each station but two were occupied by males of various species. Before Jamie could inquire as to whom had made the comment, the Andorian Lieutenant Commander seated at the tactical station spoke, "The Captain left about two minutes before you arrived."

"Did he leave any instructions for me, Sir?" Jamie asked. Without looking up from his station, the Andorian shook his head.

"I do not know where he went either," the Commander preempted.

Jamie felt embarrassed and quickly looked away from the Andorian and two the floor. He quickly made his way to the turbolift. The lift could not arrive quickly enough. Are they staring at me? he wondered to himself. As the doors to lift opened, he slid through sideways, not waiting for the doors to finish the process.

"Deck five," he spoke, voice cracking a bit. The lift hummed to life and he thanked the Gods he was alone in the lift. I cannot believe the Captain did not tell me to disregard, he thought angrily. Maybe an emergency suddenly arose, he thought, correcting his attitude and giving the captain the benefit of the doubt. As he began to lose himself in his thoughts, the lift doors slid open and deposited him on deck five. He began his walk to his office, attempting to prevent himself from losing himself in his thoughts again.

The corridors remained busy with passing crewmen, but Jamie did not bother himself with any of them. He noticed some greet him non-verbally, but he did not return the greetings. He was now confused and angry again. As he approached the main security office, he barely waited for the hatch to hiss open as he slid through, making his way to his desk without announcing his presence or acknowledging anyone else. As he sat in his chair and slid towards his desk, he immediately picked up the PADD he had been reviewing, mostly to look busy while he sulked.